Upon discussions regarding the subject of this project with the girls, one word stood out that describes the process of getting to know each other the best: communication. The girls were reflecting on their experiences of meeting new people and they came to the conclusion that it is vitally important to exchange thoughts in order to be able to get to know each other. The impressions of other people we get are not necessarily true -even though we are able to read gestures and expressions (facial expressions, body language ), we cannot really know for sure what goes on their mind. E.g. people can hide their feelings and true nature, there might be e.g. cultural differences in expressions. The only way to really get to know each other is by verbal communication and by being able to ask and specify what each other wants to know and what they mean.
The girls recognised how often the things that connect people and are bridges for making friends are things that two individuals have in common e.g. same hobbies, favourite music.
A lot of questions arose when the girls were thinking about Alethea and Sigi...what languages do they speak, what kind of houses do they live, do they have siblings, what kind of school do they go to, what hobbies do they have? Anna-Sofia and Ella found it easy to choose a question for the art work. Colours have meant a lot to Ella from early age (she’s always had a strong opinion on her favourite colour), so I’m not surprised that she wanted to ask about the favourite colour. Anna-Sofia absolutely loves pets and animals and we’re in a process of getting a dog and a cat when within next few months moving into a new home, so not suprisingly she inquired about their dream pet.
We had quite limited time ( because of our own timetables ) for this project so the girls just designed and did their drawings without use of materials. That would have brought the art works even more into life, but they now stand as they’re as plain drawings. The girls were trying to think about the style of writing, how it feels for the recipient to read and what does it tell about themselves.
Especially for Ella this project was a good opportunity to encourage her to express her thoughts more -ask the questions she has, share the thoughts she has. She easily is quiet and keeps to herself and has negative thoughts about how others see her. I think this project helped her to open her eyes to see that she needs to be active in relation to others by communicating, not just trusting her own interpretations of others reactions, but actively ask and speak up and trust in herself.
Best regards,
Elisa
Ella (8 years old) and Anna-Sofia (10 years old) live in Espoo, Finland. They are making and sharing art with Alethea (8 years old) and Sigi (7 years old) who live in Fordham, UK. Their friendship started in July 2020.
Ella and Anna-Sofia, two sisters living in Espoo, Finland have started making and sharing art with their new friends in the UK. Their mother, Elisa, has recounted their process as they begin their process of understanding themselves and each other through art practise.
